On 17 September 1989 during the night, the Liberian tanker Phillips Oklahoma ran into the Maltese ship Fiona. The latter was anchored when the incident occurred. The tanker caught fire after the collision.

More than 800 tonnes of crude oil were spilled in the incident. Luckily, the oil drifted away from the coast with the wind. There was no pollution on the shoreline.

Response operations lasted two days. They involved aerial spraying of dispersants. Some of the oil was also lost by burning, evaporation and natural dispersion.